Among the ill, aged or infirm, it is often necessary or advisable to maintain the body in motion for many reasons, such as to keep an even distribution of body fluid. It is often necessary to have easy access to a patient with a minimum of disturbance to the patient and a maximum of accessibility.

There have heretofore been many hospital beds and appliances designed for maneuvering patients or beds, and maneuverable devices such as stationable X-ray tables, patient bed rockers, rotatable beds or side-toside moveable or adjustable beds.

Prior art devices have been limited in scope, complicated in construction, only partially effective or were hard to regulateor adjust.

Among the limitations of the rocking beds of the past were also the ability to both control the rocking bed or have the patient control the rocking bed and yet have a wide arc of swing.

According to the present invention, a rocking bed is provided, adaptable to a large arc rocking sweep having simple and flexible operating mechanisms and comfort and convenience for the user with easy access to any attendant that may be required, from a desired position.

Although such novel feature or features believed to be characteristic of the invention are pointed out in the claims, the invention and the manner in which it may be carried out may be further understood by reference .to the description following and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of therocking bed of the present invention fully tilted in one direction.

FIG. 2 is a cut away front elevation of the foot of the rocking bed of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal sectional elevation of a rocking bed of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cut away front elevation of the head of the rocking bed of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan detail of the head level adjuster of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a partial sided elevation showing the foot of the rocking bed of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a detail of the crescent, arm and stop bolt of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a partial front elevation of the foot of the rocking bed of the present invention with an end cover.

FIG. 9 is a detail of alternate movement control of the rocking bed of the present invention.

The rocking bed 10 is substantially semicircular as shown in FIG. 1, having a semicircular headboard construction I1 and a substantially semicircular footboard construction 12. The headboard 11 and footboard 12 are conventionally joined by slats or other means known in the art to fully support the frame unit 14 and a box spring mattress 15 and conventional mattress 16. Optionally, such as for hospital use, a link spring (not shown) may be used with the mattress 16.

The bed frame unit 14 is preferably mounted on a metal frame 17 by journals 18, so that the bed frame unit 14 may freely rotate when not otherwise controlled. As shown in the present embodiment of the present invention, the journals 18, 19 are at the apices 20, 21 of the vertical portions 22, 23 of the metal frame. The base 24 of the metal frame 17 may rest on a floor surface or include casters 25 as shown in FIG. 6.

Safety rails 26, 27, preferably including extending pivotable portions 28, 29, 30, 31 are engaged in the headboard 11 and footboard 12, extending the length of the frame unit 14 and are rotatable to overhang the mattress 16 to prevent accidental falling from the rocking bed 10 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, optional hooking means 32, 33 may engage the safety rails 26, 27, to keep them firmly in position until release is desired.

The headboard 11, as shown in FIG. 4, includes a pair of optional safety stops 34, 35. These stops 34, 35 are engagable the sides of the vertical portions 22, 23 to limit rotational movement of the frame unit 14.

For assistance in nursing needs or just for the comfort of the user of the rocking bed 10, it may be desirable to be able to elevate the mattress 16.

In FIGS. 3 and 5, a head elevator 36 is shown, preferably having a pivot 37 from the box spring 15. An end portion 38 has an attached cord 39 which passes through an opening 40 in the headboard 11 and is affixed to a lever 41, as shown by a coupling 42. The lever 41 preferably has an inner telescoping rod 43 which when extended, provides greater leverage for raising the head elevator 36 with the weight of the occupant of the rocking bed 10 and the mattress 16, as the pivot 37 rotates about its coupling 44 and is set flat against the headboard 11 with the head elevator 36 in elevated position as shown in FIG. 3.

Rocking of the rocking bed 10 is actuated by a motor 45 as shown in the figures, set on the base 24 of the metal frame 17. The motor is in a gear train relationship with a sprocket wheel 46, which is linked by a sprocket chain 47, to drive a large sprocket wheel 48. A small sprocket wheel 49 is on the same hub 50 as sprocket wheel 48, and is in train with a sprocket chain 51 which is guided by freely rotating sprocket wheels 52 55.

Wheel 55 is outside the sprocket chain 51, wheel 52 holding the further extension of the chain 51 opposite sprocket wheel 49. Wheels 53, 54 rotate inside the chain 51 and further set the spacing of the chain 51.

The footboard 12 has a plate 56 at the journal 19, which at one end is attached to the footboard 12 and has an arm 57 extending beyond the plate 58, to which the gears are attached and beyond the gears 48, 49, 52 4 54. Also, it extends beyond the chain 51.

The arm 57 has a rod 59 attached to the arm 57 by a bolt 61. The other end of the rod 59 is connected to the chain 51 by a bolt 61 or other means which maintains the chain 51 together and permits the rod to rotate with the chain 51.

As a convenience, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a crescent 62 is mounted on the plate 58 and has a plurality of openings 63 which coincide with an opening 64, so that if at any time a selected position of the frame unit 14 is desired, the openings 63, 64 may be held in fixed position by a bolt 65.

It is preferable that the openings 63 at the extremities of the crescent 62 are adapted to maintain the frame unit substantially vertically so that the entire rocking bed 10 may be easily passed through a door way when desired.

In FIG. 9, a modification is shown, where optionally a chain 66 runs from the sprocket wheel 49 to the sprocket wheel 55, only with the rod 59 facing to the right as shown, and the chain 47 moving in the direction of arrow A. A half cycle rotation of the rocking bed 10 is obtained in the direction of arrow B; a reversal of rod 59 to the left (not shown) would provide a half cycle rotation in the direction of arrow C.

In normal operation, a cover 67, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 usually is provided to protect the operating mechanism and people in the vicinity of the mechanism.

For convenience, as shown in FIG. 4, the rocking bed 10 may be provided with a light 68 and a motor control 69 for controlling the speed and direction of rotation of the rocking bed 10.

In operation, the rocking bed 10 usually may be rotated for example, with a l/l hp motor and a speed adjustor such as one sold under the trade mark of Dayton Electronics Speed Control, as a cycle of one rotation back and forth every two hours or as fast as one a minute.

A nurse can adjust the rocking bed to a selected position to conveniently do whatever may be necessary to handle a patient. What is more, the rocking bed 10 may be set in fixed position by use of the bolt 65 in the openings 63, 64.

The safety rail 26, when pivoted inward, as shown in FIG. 1, prevents any user of the rocking bed 10 from accidentally rolling out of the rocking bed 10.

It takes a special adjustment to attach the chain 66 for the half cycle movement when desired, since the chain 51 must be removed.

The extension 70 of the arm 57 from the plate 56 allows the arm 57 to reach over the mechanism of the rocking bed 10 and reach the rod 59. Thus, the plate 56 holds the footboard 12 and the journal 19.

The pivot points for rotation of the rocking bed 10 or frame unit 14 is at the journals 18, 19. The arm 57 extends vertically downward from the extension 70, then turns off at an angle. The arm 57, with its angle is in effect like a hypothetical arm 71 of greater length. The distance between the journal 19 and the hypothetical arm provides a large moment of leverage, allowing a small traverse of distance to provide a very long rocking motion to the frame 14 of the rocking bed 10 of the present invention.

By having the rod 59 actuate the arm 57 as the rod 59 travels with the chain 51, the mechanical wear of sudden motion, such as a reciprocating actuating arm is avoided, as well as the bearing wear that would be attendant upon the direct power application coming off a reciprocating actuating rod.

The terms and expressions which are employed are used as terms of description; it is recognized, though, that various modifications are possible.

Having thus described certain forms of the invention in some detail, what is claimed is:

1. A rockable bed, comprising a substantially hemicylindrical bed frame and a support frame; said hemicylindrical bed frame having a headboard and a footboard, said bed frame pivotally mounted on said support frame, an arm on one end of said bed frame, an endless chain, said endless chain including at least two rotative hubs, means to connect said arm to said endless chain, and means to rotate said endless chain whereby said bed frame is reciprocated, said means to rotate said endless chain including a second endless chain having a common rotative hub with one of said at least two rotative hubs.

2. The invention of claim 1 including an electric motor and gear train adapted to rotate said second endless chain.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said motor includes an adjustable speed control.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said arm extending from one of said headboard and footboard includes a rod connecting said arm to said endless chain.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said arm is bent an angle away from the vertical.

6. The invention of claim including a plurality of idler wheels spacing said first endless chain.

7. The invention of claim 6 wherein said wheels are sprocket wheels and said chain is a sprocket chain.

8. The invention of claim 5 including a crescent mounted near the end pivot near said arm, said crescent including a plurality of openings, said arm including at least one opening, said arm and crescent openings adapted to be juxtaposed, and means to hold said arm at a selected opening in said crescent.

9. The invention of claim 1 including at least one safety bar along the length of said bed frame.

10. The invention of claim 9 wherein said at least one safety bar is adjustable toward and away from its inner portion of said bed frame.

11. The invention of claim 1 wherein said bed includes spring means.

12. The invention of claim 1 wherein said bed includes a mattress.

13. The invention of claim 1 wherein at least one end board includes stops adapted to limit the swing of said bed frame.

14. The invention of claim 1 wherein one of said headboard and footboard includes stops adapted to interact with said support frame.

15. The invention of claim 1 including a middle idler wheel and said chain run between said central idler wheel and a wheel on said rotative hub having said second endless chain.